Trip For Two
by MysteriousOpal
Summary: **Original Story** I couldn't figure out what category to mark this as :/ A girl takes a trip to France and meets a very attractive man after having a near-death experience. *This is my first fanfiction ever. I wrote this story for a creative writing contest* the winner has not yet been decided..


Trip For Two

Casey Heckmen

Just get it over with, my inner self keeps telling me. I am standing on a

window frame directly above the twelve-foot deep pool at the L'Etoile d'Or Hôtel

in Paris. I had come on this trip to relax, not to put my dauntlessness to the test. I

look down again. All I can see is the unmoving crystal water of the pool. Oh, mon

Dieu, I say to myself. I draw in what could quite possibly be my last breath. Then

the unexpected occurs. I jump.

My fears are all crashing around me, but I can only hear the sound of

my body cannoning into the water. I hold my breath; I wish for my muscles to

unclench so I can push upward and above the surface of the water. They don't. I

panic. I last remember sending a silent prayer to God before I black out for good.

Where am I? My inner self screams violently to me. I ignore myself, take

in my surroundings, and hear frantic voices. I see a tall, blurry silhouette in front

of me. My eyes start to adjust to the darkness around me. When I am completely

adjusted to the dark, I look at the silhouette again. It is that of a man. And he is

absolutely gorgeous. His hair is a dirty blond. It is still wet, indicating that he, too,

had been swimming recently. His eyes, a tantalizing cerulean blue, make me feel

serene. I continue to examine his features. His frame is muscular, but not overly

so. He is tall, probably around five-foot-ten; considerably taller than my five-foot-

five self. In the presence of this man, all apprehension eludes me.

The man reaches out his hand. My arms are still tired from neglect. I

whimper as I try to reach up to him. He hushes me and bends down to pick me

up. Once in his arms, I feel as though I am out of harm's way. My eyes flutter

closed and I listen contentedly to the cadence that his heart is making. He

carries me for a while, then asks me which floor my room is on. I don't trust my

voice so I depend on the use of my fingers to tell him. I slumber lightly as we

Rising from my place on the bed, I stretch my aching muscles and attempt

to stand on wobbly legs. I make it from the bed to the bathroom and back before

my stomach starts to feel hollow. I think back to the previous day. I had eaten

breakfast and then wandered off to the window. That cursed window seems to

be the source of all my problems. Not him, my inner voice mumbles. For once,

the voice is right. He is right; and I didn't even catch his name. My mind was

now racing with thoughts of his eyes. Will I see him again? Just as the question

crosses my mind, I hear a knocking. Expecting to see a maid, I walk cautiously

over to the door and peek out of the peephole. My heart is hammering in my

chest and my mind is going through a million scenarios before I even open the

door. I compose myself quickly, taking deep, even breaths. My hands fumble

with the lock on the door and finally, I see him face-to-face. Mmm, my inner voice

moans. QUIET DOWN, I yell back to myself.

"Hello," he says. His looks are unruffled and he is speaking with a

tenderness that I have never heard before. My insides melt at his softness. I try

to speak, but all that comes out of my mouth is a grunt-like sound. He chuckles

at my attempt and says, "It's fine. You've been through a lot lately. How about we

continue this meeting later. Meet me in the lobby at ten?" His tone surprises me.

He sounds as if he is longing to be in my company. I nod meekly and return to

my room. I sigh with outrage that I had just humiliated myself in front of him.

Deciding that it would be best to get a shower first, I drift toward the

bathroom and strip out of my clothes. I exhale sharply when the hot water hit my

slender frame, but soon adjust to the new warmth. After washing my hair and self

I turn off the water and step out of the shower. I wrap a fluffy, white towel around

myself and walk into my closet to pick something out to wear. After scavenging

savagely through my closet, I find a sleeveless v-neckline dress that reaches

about my thigh. It starts solid blue at the top and fades with a pattern to white at

the bottom. I put on an aquamarine necklace to match the dress. My tall, low-

heeled brown boots that I had borrowed from my mom a few years ago will

complete the look. I walk back into the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth. I

decide to work on my hair first which is in dire need of a cut. It looks wild. My

mahogany locks reach almost to my lower back. Knots tear at the brush as I pull

it through. I tame my hair into a semi-workable state and curl it expertly to my

liking. I run out to my phone, still charging on the bedside table, and check the

time. I still have thirty minutes to spare. I decide to leave slightly early. I tug on

my brown boots, grab my patterned bag, and lock the door behind me. I drift

meaningfully toward the elevator, giddy in anticipation.

As I wait for the elevator to get to the lobby, I think of the man. His eyes,

his hair, his… body, my inner self chimes in. NO, you will not ruin this for me!

I scream at myself. Ruin? I have done nothing…it is what you have done. You

jumped out of the window, not me. Why had I jumped out of the window? I

don't remember. I couldn't have been myself. I'm afraid of heights; the merest

thought of jumping again frightened me to no end. Against my better judgment,

I had done something unlike my own everyday actions. I had violated my code-

of-conduct. It made no sense. Why would I jump! WHY! Maybe you wanted to

experience fun for once, my inner voice mutters to itself. SHUT UP, I've had

enough of you for a lifetime, I growl back. I snap back to my current location just

as the elevator doors open up to the lobby.

I check my phone to see that it is just about ten o'clock. I scan the room

for him, but see not even a trace of him. Then I hear, "Over here!" I look to the

left and see him sitting at a table, seemingly waiting for me. I smile brightly and

walk toward him. "Hey," I say when I reach the table.

"Please, sit." He half grins back at me. His smile is like an invitation to

come closer, but I sit respectfully across from him and set my bag down on my

"Thank you," I say, "for keeping me safe."

"It was my pleasure," he smirks. His tone makes me think there is a

deeper meaning to his words. "I'll tell you later, when it's safer," he says in a

whisper; almost as if he had been listening to my thoughts. "Are you hungry?" he

"Extremely, actually." I hadn't even noticed that my stomach had been off-

and-on growling since I left my hotel room.

"Let's get you something to eat then," he says politely.

"Ok," I nod in approval of the idea.

We had consumed the most delicious food that I had ever eaten

throughout my entire vacation here in Paris. Turns out, this man, whose name

I found out is Leo, also speaks fluent French. I was greatly surprised by this

because his English is practically impeccable. I speak a little bit of French, but

not enough to hold a long conversation or anything of the sort.

We talk about this and that. We walk around the lobby, but find ourselves

uninspired by it's blandness. We finally decide on taking a walk in the gardens

outside. Desertion meets us as we walk outside. There is no one in the gardens.

I look around at the flowering plants around us. There is everything from ferns to

roses. My inspection of the gardens continues, until Leo questions, "I suppose

you're wondering why I wanted to talk to you?" To be honest, up until now, I was

just enjoying his company. I was cheerful in that I hadn't heard from my inner

voice since early morning.

"Well, I suppose I would, indeed." I felt almost too proper with that

statement, but I was starting to get angry. My previous tranquility had vanished.

"Please, don't get mad at me. I will explain everything." He takes a deep

breath, presumably to steady himself. "Ok, so the other night when you were

standing on the window. At that time, I was outside by the pool, looking up at

you. I had seen you earlier that day and I was wondering what you were doing.

You looked like you were having an internal struggle with yourself. I assume on

whether or not to go through with the jump. I couldn't figure out what would

prompt you to be up there in the first place. I thought maybe someone was

blackmailing you. I wanted to go up and stop you, but just as I had gotten up

from my spot on the ground, you jumped." He stops and smiles glumly at me

before whispering, "I thought you would stop yourself."

"I don't remember anything that happened after I jumped. Today, I

couldn't even remember why I jumped." I think hopelessly back to the jump, my

mind still unable to comprehend why it had happened.

"I have a theory- but wait, back to the rest of my account of that night.

Ok, so, you jumped, and I went in after you. I pulled you out while everyone else

was screaming and lay you down on the ground. I stood worried until you finally

came back to me. You opened your beautiful green eyes and looked up at me. I

could tell you weren't actually seeing me, but you were alive and that was all that

I stand shocked at his account of the story, but stay quiet, for he will

continue. I am more concerned by what his theory could be. I'm not crazy…I

hope he doesn't think I'm crazy. You're crazy, my inner voice says to me. NO, I'M

"So, as I was saying," Leo coughed, "I have a theory on why you jumped,

but don't remember why you committed the action."

I look up at him with big eyes, "What's the theory?" I wonder out loud.

"I…I think you have two personas."

"Like, what? Two people?"

"Yeah, something like that. I think that there's someone inside you making

you do things against your better judgment." Huh, well I had felt like I was being

pushed out of that window. Does he think I have an inner voice? Is that what Leo

"Well, sometimes…" I gulp, somewhat unwilling to finish the sentence.

"It's okay, you can trust me. You can tell me anything." He says with such

emotion that I would spill my heart out to him right now.

"…This voice speaks to me; an 'inner voice' is what I call it. It's not me. I

know it's not. But this voice tells my to do certain things and it gives me certain

"So you're saying that someone else talks to you, inside your head?" he

"Yes, but is that bad? Am I crazy?" I panic.

"No, no! You aren't crazy. You just have multiple personality disorder.

Don't panic or get angry. You are very normal. You have another person though,

who is the opposite of you. It makes you do things. I don't think that person likes

Does Leo think I'm weird?

"No, I don't think you're weird. I actually like you very much." He smirked

at me. I hadn't realized that I had spoken that question aloud. So…he likes me? I

blush. Ooh La La, my inner voice mocks. Aw, Shut it. You can't control me

Both Leo and I get up. He holds out his hand and interlaces my fingers

with his. I smile to myself as we walk away from the gardens and back into real

life. A question forms in the front of my mind. "So, you're fluent in French?" I ask

vehemently interested in his answer. He chuckles once more and nods, "Oui, ma

chérie." I blush once more and squeeze his hand to show that I feel the same

French Words:

* L'Etoile d'Or Hôtel- The Gold Star Hotel

* Oh mon Dieu- Oh my God

*"Oui, ma chérie."- "Yes, my love."


End file.
